 |
| Laying the
foundation for greater synergy |
| |
 |
| DSTA organised
a seminar to encourage greater cooperation
among government agencies. |
|
|
|
| |
Have
you ever experienced a power break when the water
pipe repairman accidentally dug into and damaged
an electric cable?
This happens because in the earlier years, each
service provider laid its own cables or pipes to
optimise its own network without coordinating with
other service providers. As a result, the water
supply company did not know where the electric cables
are and thus where to avoid digging.
Permanent Secretary (Defence Development) Dr Tan
Kim Siew gave an example of the benefits of systems
architecture in his opening address at the inaugural
Systems Architecture Seminar held in September 2005.
He said that in the new Downtown development, service
tunnels have been built to carry all the structures
for power, telecommunications and even cooling water.
The repairmen can enter the tunnels to conduct repairs
when necessary without having to dig up the roads.
Supply breaks caused by digging no longer occur.
Such a scenario is possible because the relevant
agencies work together and achieve synergy.
Recognising the increasing significance of systems
architecture, the Defence Science and Technology
Agency (DSTA) initiated the Systems Architecture
Seminar.
It brought together some 400 participants from various
government agencies and educational institutions.
Said DSTA Deputy Chief Executive (Technology) Tan
Peng Yam, who spearheaded the event: “The
seminar is a platform for the exchange of ideas
and sharing of experiences among government agencies
in the application of systems architecture concepts.
“Through such exchanges, we hope to see a
greater understanding of the role of systems architecture
among the various government agencies, and to encourage
them to collaborate in exploring operational concepts
and system engineering strategies to help Singapore
maintain a compelling competitive edge.”
You may be unaware that the concept of systems architecture
surrounds us. One excellent example is the local
land transport system.
During the seminar, Mr Lew Yii Der, Director of
the Land Transport Authority’s Policy Division,
explained how the land transport system fitted into
the bigger picture of urban town planning and land-use
allocation.
He said that adopting the systems architecture approach
spawned a world-class transport system and an efficient
system to manage the current and future supply and
demand for road use in Singapore.
Jurong Island is another example. JTC Corporation’s
(JTC) Director of Specialised Parks Development
Group David Tan described it as a “gigantic
system of systems”. And rightly so, as a system
of systems architecture for a petrochemical ecosystem
was adopted, such that the outputs from one plant
become the inputs for another.
In building the ecosystem, JTC considered all the
key factors including the business needs of each
plant, utilities, logistical support and security.
It even conducted research and development to explore
recycling “waste” for better use.
Jurong Island has since evolved into a synergistic
world-class petroleum and petrochemicals hub.
In the face of an increasingly complex environment,
the importance of inter-agency cooperation cannot
be overemphasised. This was best summed up by Mr
David Tan, who said: “Through such seminars,
we can understand what the other agencies are actually
doing. We cannot just operate on our own. I think
it’s important to have a system of systems
where we work together and work as a Singapore Inc.” |
|
| |
| |
By
DSTA
Next: Having a say on enjoying
our waters |
